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Local researcher wins state award

Ryan’s efforts help preserve family histories

By Robert Cloud


Darlene Ryan

Two books and more than a dozen research and preservation projects have led to state recognition for a Waupaca woman.

The Wisconsin State Genealogical Society inducted Darelen Ryan into the Virginia V. Irvin Volunteer Hall of Fame.

A charter member of the Waupaca Area Genealogical Society (WAGS) since 1994, Ryan first became interested in genealogy when her daughter was given a school assignment of making a family tree.

“My daughter went to school with one of the Pope girls and their ancestors could go back all the way to the Mayflower,” Ryan said. “I only knew as far back as my grandmother.”

Ryan began researching her own family roots and took a class on genealogical research in 1982.

Eventually, she was able to trace her lineage on her mother’s side back to 1853 and her father’s side to 1869.

In 2002, Ryan traveled to Germany to continue her research.

As a member of WAGS, Ryan was instrumental in several projects to preserve historical records.

She chaired the indexing of Waupaca and Waushara counties’ naturalization records in coordination with the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Archives Department.

She also chaired the “Save the Weyauwega Chronicle Newspaper” project.

“When they closed the Chronicle office in Weyauwega in 2008, they were going to destroy the papers,” Ryan said. “We went to Madison to see if all the Chronicle papers had been microfilmed.”

Ryan worked with the Fremont Historical Society to preserve the old issues of the Weyauwega Chronicle, transport them to the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison and copy them to microfilm.

Microfilm copies of the Chronicle, dating back to the early 1900s, are now available at the Weyauwega Public Library.

She also worked with WAGS in the publication of two books: “Researching Your Ancestor in Waupaca County” and produced “At the Graveside” with JJ Johnson, Nancy Helbach and Jean Spiegelberg.

Ryan worked with the King Civil War Round Table to commemorate Benjamin Hilliker, a Wisconsin Civil War Medal of Honor recipient, which also resulted in a book.

She has been involved in genealogical projects throughout Waupaca, Portage, Waushara and Outagamie counties.

The state award Ryan received is named after the late Virginia V. Irvin, an active volunteer with the Wisconsin State Genealogical Society who was assistant editor of the WSGS Newsletter for 14 years and the state society’s treasurer.

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